Spindleshanks’ Shack: Yorkshire Ghost Tours x The Bell Witch Podcast

Did you know, Spindleshanks McScrew of the Otley Ghost Tour has a regular spot on a podcast?

Head to your favourite streaming site to listen to the wonderful, award-winning Bell Witch Podcast, led by Emma Swailles, the friendly green witch, who deep dives all things witchy, spiritual and spooky.

Swailles covers a whole host of topics including: witchcraft in the present day, sigils, folklore, mythology, feminism, manifestation, astrology, meditation, spellwork, food magick, and more! She has regular guest spots, leading interesting conversations from her studio in Yorkshire with people all around the world. It’s all about witchin’ in the 21st century!

The Bell Witch Podcast: your guide to witching in the 21st century

And, once a month, Spindleshanks McScrew, the Otley Ghost Tour guide, invites you to her shack, where she will regale you with tales you absolutely don’t want to hear… (but you must persist, brave listener!)

These tales are not for the faint hearted, and are often too dark and scary even to be featured on one of our ghost walks - and usually not en-route - but ANYWAY…

So far, Spindleshanks has talked all about the Barghest of Dob Park Lodge, the Grey Lady of East Riddlesden Hall, and this month is all about the infamous Otley murder of 1887, which added a rather grisly ghost to the darker streets of Otley.

This harrowing tale of murder and misery was found in Mark Bridgeman’s ‘The Dark Side of the Dales’, a brilliant book exploring true stories of murder, mystery and robbery from Yorkshire's dark past.

Mark Bridgeman: The Dark Side of the Dales

We hope you enjoy this rather horrid story from Otley’s dark past, and if you head out to walk your hound on an evening as the nights darken, keep your wits about you and tread lightly where the dead linger!

If you’d like to read along to this gory story, check out our blog here

We hope you enjoy it, and keep your eyes peeled 👀 for next month’s miserable tale…